I’ve come to the conclusion that I spend way, way, way too much money on groceries!  I mean it is ridiculous.  When I read what other mommies spend to feed families much bigger than my small 3 person unit I am shocked and amazed.  Right now, I budget $275 per paycheck and I get paid twice a month.  And that $275 has not been enough lately.  I use cash for household expenses so when the cash for groceries is gone we’re done.  Well, what happens when the grocery budget is done and you need a $42 box of diapers of a $27 tub of formula?  You dip into next pay periods money and the problem never seems to end…  Despite including formula, diapers, wipes and the crazy expensive cat food that limits Caramel The Cat’s vomiting ($2/can!) in my grocery budget, I still think I am overspending.

Part of the problem is me.  I’m a sale junkie.  Chicken breasts on sale for $1.99? Stock up!  Lactaid for $1.99 at Kroger yesterday (regular $4.69) buy 2 because The Mister goes through milk and cereal like there is no tomorrow.  Stocking up can be wise, but it can also gets ridiculous.  I keep stocking up yet constantly finding myself running to the store for ingredients for some recipe.  Clearly, I am not stocking up on the right things or I need to re-evaluate my cooking to use up the 5 packs of chicken breasts in the deep freezer.

I do shop weekly sales as I mentioned above.  I use coupons when possible, but when you aren’t really buying a bunch processed foods spending $2.50 on the Sunday paper and all the time required for coupon clipping doesn’t seem worth it.  They never give $.50 off of fresh broccoli!  I scan Costco for good deals (because sometimes it is cheaper to buy at the grocery store).  I do my part here!

My challenge for myself this June is to use up the stuff I already have in the freezer and cabinet.  I won’t make any foolish promises to not buy anything because I need fresh fruits and veggies and Greek yogurt weekly*.  However, I will not go overbudget this month and I won’t buy any new protein unless I run out.  I will also find recipes that don’t require extra non-traditional spices (WTH is sweet paprika?) that I don’t have.

We are also going to feed Lewis solids more regularly.  The Mister is lazy and won’t feed him real food (it does require so much more effort).   However, the boy is nearly 9 months old and when the day he hits 12 months old formula is DONE.  He almost snatched a chicken bone out of my hand the other day, he’s ready to be eating more real food meals than bottles.  This would save a ton of money on its own.  $50-$65 of the budget is totally dedicated to formula..and that is with me getting the best deal at Costco.

What about you?  Am I the only one who does this?  How much do you spend on groceries?  Am I crazy to spend this much on groceries for 3 people?

*Side Note: Those green bags for produce really work!  My strawberries have been kicking it for a week and half now which never happens.

• I weighed in this morning.  I’ve been monitoring a bit more than usual because of my travel last week.  I was at 189.0 on the Friday before I left, 191 when I returned and this morning…186.5.  Yeah!  I guess I wasn’t that bad while I was away!
• I have been tasked with buying and eating a day’s worth of locally harvested fruits, veggies and meats as a part of the Precision Nutrition program.  When researching the farmer’s markets in my area I ran across this link.  This guy will come to your house, plant a garden in your yard (you choose the  fruits and veggies) and do basic on-going maintenance and fertilization.  I think this is a fabulous idea!  I mentioned it to The Mister and he said it is a dumb idea for lazy people who don’t really want a garden.
• Humph.  I may be lazy in some areas, but I do want a garden!  I just don’t want to figure out how to dig up our Bermuda grass to get it started.  I also don’t really like working outdoors and bugs and such.  OK, maybe it does sound like I don’t want a garden.  I don’t care – the idea that this dude does a lot of the heavy lifting while I reap the reward of fresh, organic, sort of free produce appeals.  What do you think?
• I did some running while I was away along with a few bodyweight workouts (pushups, lunges, squats, situps).  On my first day of exercise, I ran a 33 minute 5K non-stop!  Whoo hoo!
• I am scooping up DiscoDiva tomorrow morning to run the Women’s 5K.  Barista speaks of showing up.  I’m putting you on notice now LOL.
• I want to finish in less than 35 minutes.  This is a crowded course and there are some hills.  If I get that time, I’ll feel great.  I ran it in about 35 min last year when I was 4 months pregnant and baby Lewis was stealing all of my oxygen from within.
• I am still sore from bootcamp on Monday.  Is this what happens when you miss a week?
• I hit up the Tangers Outlets in Charleston while I was away.  Nike and Reebok stole my clothing budget for the next two months.  I finally have some workout pants that fit though!
• I really want to get back to my old self.  The personal training studio where I used to work out is having a competition in May and I so want to participate.  My competitive drive is starting to return but my competitor’s body is still a work in progress LOL.
• PSA: If you eat Ezekial Bread, freeze it and toast it a slice at a time or eat it quick.  I was aware that this bread contains no preservatives but I had no idea how quick that it could spoil!  I reached for a pre-workout slice and nearly vomited when I saw a mold spot on the slice and every.other.slice in left.  Did I eat moldy bread the day before?  Shudder.  I swear it was only in the fridge for a week!

Barney Butter

The big deal:  A lot of CrossFitters follow the Paleo diet.  I guess I’m a rebel because I haven’t gotten sucked into the Paleo cult yet.  While there are several flavors of Paleo, they all share a common disdain for legumes.  Legumes apparently spike your insulin levels which is not really a good thing.  This is one type of food that isn’t unhealthy compared to a lot of things you could be eating.  I mean really green beans = bad for you?!?  I guess that legumes can be taken as a YMMV type food – sort of like dairy.  If it doesn’t bother with you or affect your weight loss go with it but you might be better off without it.

(more…)

In the name of good health and nutrition, I sometimes try to broaden my horizons and try new foods.  I’ve been on a real bender lately since starting Precision Nutrition and beefing up my protein/trying to eat better quality carbs.

Fage – 0%

The big deal: Greek yogurt is packed with protein (16g in a 6oz cup).  Lots of diet and health bloggers worship this stuff.

The verdict: Yuck!  I tried this before and was hoping that I could put chocolate protein powder in the yogurt to make it taste pudding-ish.  Yuck!  It is thicker than normal yogurt which is fine.  It is the sour taste of Greek yogurt that is just gross to me.  I ate most of my concoction but felt ill for a few hours afterwords.

Chobani Greek Yogurt – Strawberry

The big deal: See above

The verdict:  I must be a glutton for punishment to try this stuff yet again right?  I figured another brand might taste better.  I was right!  This stuff is good!  It isn’t as sickly sweet as your average cup of Dannon yogurt.  It contains real sugar and real fruit – nothing artificial.  Alas, the real sugar is the downfall – 20g in one cup.  Sheesh!  The plain kind only has about 7g of natural milk sugar so the strawberry stuff is just rolling in sugar.  I will eat this occasionally but not add it to my regular rotation.

Ezekial 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread

The big deal: Precision Nutrition encourages you to eat unprocessed and unrefined grains.  That meant that suddenly my normal 100% whole wheat bread was not good enough.   Ezekial bread is a sprouted grain bread and that means it meets the qualifications above and is really good for you.  It is also low on the glycemic index so it won’t make your blood sugar go crazy.

The verdict: Not bad!  I now eat a slice of this when I wake up in the morning before I workout.  This is a better option than my usual 1/2 whole wheat bagel.  Ezekial bread is really dense and filling.  I toast it and it has a nutty kind of flavor. This slice carries me from 6-ish to 8:30 when get in to work and have a fuller breakfast.  If you decide to try it buy from Tra.der Jo.e’s if you can.  It costs $3.99/loaf here as opposed to $6 at Who.le Foo.ds or Kro.ger.

Steel Cut Oats

The big deal: Everyone knows oatmeal is good for you and foodies rave about how good steel cut oats taste.

The verdict: Yuck!  I hate oatmeal so I don’t know why I thought this would be any different.  I doctored it up with butter, some Splenda, a banana and some slivered almonds but oats are still gross.  The mushy texture is what kills me.  I love grits and want to replace them with a healthier option but this just isn’t it for me.

Brussel Sprouts

The big deal:  I don’t know if they are a big deal other than being a green veggie that’s new to me.  They are full of fiber, vitamin A, potassium and calcium though!  I’ve never tried these before and the average TV show makes Brussel sprouts seem like the worst tasting vegetable in the world!

The verdict:  Loved them!  I love cabbage and since they are part of the cabbage family I figured they’d taste similar.  I roasted them according to this recipe and popped them like veggie candy.  The only problem is that they really stank up the house.  I’m going to have to find a way to cut the smell or The Mister won’t let me make these again LOL.

Do you ever try to broaden your horizons with healthier foods?  Any suggestions for foods I should try?  Nothing extra processed please!

I was doing well with restricting my dense carbs to post-exercise until I paid a visit to Panera Bread Company. I went there for the salads (which are awesome) not the sandwiches. There was a delicious smell wafting in from the bag that contained my salmon caesar salad. Salad doesn’t smell that good! I opened my bag up to see what was in there. Just my luck – a warm french bread loaf type thing (baguette maybe?). Why did I wolf that thing down like a like a starving woman?!? It was absolutely delicious! Next time, I’m telling them no bread.

Oh well, I do recognize that this is a process. We fall down and we get up right?

My most successful diet back in the day was Atkins.  I stayed on it for about 2 years and was the tiniest I’ve ever been in my adult life.  I actually saw 120-something on the scale.

Eventually my love of bread and potatoes got the best of me and I went back to my old ways (and weight).  I found success again with a more inclusive (but calorically restricted) diet and SparkPeople.com.  Then I had the baby so here I am again with a substantial amount of weight to lose.  This time I am using the Precision Nutrition Lean Eating coaching program.

The first PN habit was easy.  I swig some fish oil every day no problem.  Our new habit – not so easy.  The new habit is to restrict dense carbs (whole grains, brown rice, pasta, potato etc) to post-workout meals only.  Not quite Atkins, but this habit definitely requires a shift in my normal routine.  I exercise first thing in the morning so that means no starchy carbs with lunch or dinner.  I can eat fruit anytime (just not a whole ton of it), but I should be focusing more on leafy greens and other veggies.

So far, so good!  I’ve been having big salads with chicken for lunch.  I purchased and sauteed some Swiss Chard in olive oil with red pepper flakes and garlic (yum!).  I traded my normal pre-workout whole wheat bagel half for a slice of Ezekial bread (which actually doesn’t taste too bad).

At this point, I haven’t felt the dip in energy that I remember when I dropped carbs cold turkey with Atkins.  I think this more moderate approach might work out better for me.  Or so I thought until I made this recipe last night.  The chicken was excellent.  I didn’t have some items on hand so I subbed some Rotel for the fresh tomato, frozen chopped green peppers and 2% mexican cheese instead of full-fat cheese.  I paired it with some green beans.  The Mister’s reaction?  “This is good but we really need some rice to go with this!”  Hmm…I was thinking more along the lines of mashed potatoes.

I can do this and I will be better and healthier because of it.

Lewis doesn’t resemble me much at all. I studied him while he was eating the other day. His eyes were closed with the occasional half-lidded peek at me. Sometimes he started gripping the bottle with both hands (because he just knows he can control it now LOL). Other times his hands are wringing/rubbing together in the ecstasy of feeding.

This is where we connect. That’s my baby! We both love food. I love to eat, LOVE it. My mother said when I was a baby I came out eyes wide open checking her out and sucking on my fingers because it had been a long time since she/we had eaten.

Food is a beautiful thing but too much of anything is not good. I lost about 25-30 pounds a few years before I got pregnant. I thought I had the food thing figured out. I guess not because as soon as I got pregnant my good habits went out the window. Out with the Kashi GoLean for breakfast and in with those little mini Burger King ham-n-cheese sandwiches! Dessert with lunch? Of course! Out with the green vegetables! What happened?!?

Maybe I was never really “cured” like I thought. Maybe I was just on another diet that lasted 3 years instead of the usual month or two. I don’t know. I do know that I need to change something. I need to forge a new relationship with food. I don’t want to be one of those “food is fuel” type of people (even though it is!) who only eats chicken breasts and green beans. Food is good, food is delicious and life is too short to each stuff you don’t truly enjoy.

I also cannot continue in my current way of thinking. Oh sure, I’m back on the “diet” track now but I don’t want to be on a diet. I want to eat things that are really good for me and I want to truly enjoy them. I want to be able to enjoy “bad” foods without feeling like I’m cheating. I also want to have the willpower to avoid sliding into overconsumption when I’m eating foods that aren’t nutritionally sound. I don’t want to have such an on or off the wagon mentality. I want to be one of those “intuitive eating” type of people.

I mentioned in my previous entry that I signed up for the Precision Nutrition Lean Eating Coaching for Women program. This program is supposed to help you transform your relationship with food in 6 months and I hope it can help me fix mine. I’m ready for a change. I’m excited.

Are there any formerly greedy people out there that have been successful making the type of change I’m talking about?

• My little sister is planning her first half-marathon!  Once again, she’s managed to talk me into joining her (except she better not bail on me this time!).  We’ll be doing the Shamrock Half-Marathon in Virginia Beach on March 21st.
• I don’t think I’ll be in full half-marathon shape by March so my plan is to complete Couch To 5K and then do Couch To 10K.  The goal is to run 10K of the half-marathon and then jog/walk the rest.
• I plan to be fully back on the running circuit by Fall 2010.  If my sister likes the half-marathon distance maybe we can do the Suntrust Half in Richmond in November 2010.  I might be ready to be some competition for her at that point!
• A strange part of me wants to run a full marathon again.  ING in Spring 2011? Hmm…  Am I nuts?!?
• I have an appointment with a chiropractor next week.  I hurt my back again on Tuesday.  This is ridiculous.  I feel like I am 65 years old sometimes.  Is my hip next?
• I am a little ticked at my cell phone company Ver.i.zon.  I am happy with the quality of my service but man do they nickel and dime you to death!  I got a new phone and was all excited about easily getting email and using my phone as a GPS.  I clearly didn’t read well enough because to use all those features I have to upgrade to a crazy expensive plan or pay monthly fees of $1.99 or $9.99 respectively.  Why would I pay $10 a month for GPS service when I can just buy one?!?
• I am munching on Blue Diamond Cinnamon Sugar Almonds as I type this.  They are so good!  The bad thing is that they are sard to stop eating them once I get started!
• I think I might fill in the lull in my event schedule with a sprint triathlon.  My town hosts a women’s tri in August.  I’ll be able to run a 5K way before then and I’d just need to practice biking and start trying to swimming again.
• Lewis had his first set of shots a couple of weeks ago.  I said I wasn’t going to cry but I soooo did.  He didn’t cry for long but man did he wail when it was going down!  He cried so hard he went silent.  Mouth wide open, tears in eyes and no sound coming out.  I’m only human.  I can’t watch my baby go through that and not cry.
• He weighed in at 12 pounds 4 ounces.  That puts him in the middle percentile for weight.  He was in the middle for height too.  His head, however?  86th percentile!  Maybe having a C-Section was kind of lucky for me LOL.  My boy has a big old head LOL.
• I’m getting a copy of that Insanity workout by Beachbody featuring the Hip-Hop Abs dude (thanks GatorGirl!).  I saw the informercial and was interested in the intensity and the short workouts.  I need stuff that is 30 minutes or less.
• I still have a copy of Cathe’s Shock Cardio on pre-order.  This fits the bill for shorter intense cardio too.  I can’t wait for this one either.
• I don’t know when I’m going to find time to do either set of DVDs!  I’m doing C25K on my cardio days for now with C210K to follow.  Sigh.

Stats for the week.

-3 pounds! I swear the scale is mocking me.  A few weeks ago I was mysteriously up 3 pounds and now I’m down three pounds?  I’m giving this result the side-eye and not counting any victories until next week.  Hip and waist are about the same as last week. Both almost wanted to go down .25 inches but didn’t quite make it.

What kind of exercise did you do this week?

This week I had one CrossFit session and completed 3 Couch To 5K Sessions.  I also did 1/2 of Tracey Staehle’s Steady State Step and Cardio Coach Volume 1 on the elliptical.

What was something positive that happened in regards to fitness this week?

I had time on Friday to exercise (thanks to my mother-in-law) and confirmed that I definitely haven’t lost my desire to work out.  I did half of a step workout at home (half because Lewis needed the room for a nap) and then hit the gym for my Couch To 5K session.  After I finished my run I felt like I needed more.  I had Cardio Coach loaded on my IPod so I completed Volume 1 on the elliptical.  I felt GREAT when I finished…sort of like the old me.  I did nearly and 1:30 worth of cardio!  I wish I had the time to squeeze in that much exercise on a normal day.  Sigh.

Anything you can do to improve on fitness this week?

I only strength trained one day this week.  That’s lame!  I need the cardio for fat loss, but I want my muscles back.

How much damage did you do for the holiday?

It was Thanksgiving!  I feasted on the big day and tried to stay in control on the other days.  I’m sick of eating turkey and greens – that’s for sure.  I indulged in a few too many desserts, but overall the holiday wasn’t a total diet wasteland.

Anything you can do to improve on your diet this week?

I plan to really get focused this week.  I have 50 days to complete this holiday challenge so every day counts.  I’m off to a good start today so I plan to keep the ball rolling.

Anything else?

• I took body pictures for the holiday weight loss challenge that I joined.  Wow…talk about harsh reality.  I might post them here one day when I’ve reclaimed my body to show just how far diet and exercise can take you LOL.

Stats for the week.

-1 pound. Not too shabby but considering I was up 3 pounds last week 1 pound isn’t all that exciting. Down .25 inches in both the hip and waist again. That’s good! Looks like I’m shaving off slowly, but it is coming off nonetheless.

What kind of exercise did you do this week?

I completed 2 Couch To 5K sessions and one CrossFit session.

What was something positive that happened in regards to fitness this week?

Ugh! If I have to claim something positive, it would be that Week 3 of Couch to 5K was easier than I thought. This week adds in a few 3 minute jogging stretch. I am taking it very slow (4.5 mph, 1% incline…I have short legs!) on the treadmill because I’ve read that you should work on either speed or distance. I ended the interval feeling like I could do more which is great!

Anything you can do to improve on fitness this week?

Go to see a chiropracter?!? I re-injured my back again in CrossFit on Thursday. It wasn’t because of bad form. I think I just got back into things too soon. The other day I had some strange lower back spasm while just walking around the house. On Friday, I bent down to pick up a laundry basket of clothes and didn’t think I would be able to get back up. Ouch! Whatever I did must have been quite serious. I think it is time to see a professional. Until then, I will continue with running and doing CrossFit. My trainer there is nice enough to come up with things for me to do which don’t include lower back work. Totally skipping strength training is not an option.

What was your diet like this week?

No comment. Ugh again! I was just not in the mood this week. I did not go too crazy but I ate way too much Halloween candy (why don’t I just throw it out already) and didn’t focus on the good habits I want to develop. I feel so discouraged sometimes because I have so far to go. It is so much easier to not really care.

What was something positive that happened in regards to your diet this week?

I bought a 32 ounce water bottle and drank 64 ounces during the work day nearly every day this week. I’m finding the bigger bottle more convenient. Less trips to the break room and more of a chance that I will finish the water.

Anything you can do to improve on your diet this week?

Nothing to it but to do it. I know this is a holiday week so things might be a little hard, but if I focus on the smaller changes I CAN do this.

Anything else?

• I joined a weight/fat loss challenge! 50 days over the holidays. I think this will inspire me not to get focused. I’m planning to start on Wednesday I think.
• I need a root canal. Will that help me cut calories for at least one day? LOL.